Fire in the Roots

Chapter VIII: The Past

The door opened to a small bedroom. Mr. Smive approached the fireplace and lit the wood. He then sat down in his chair with his cup of tea (Ooh... Fancy).

"Come, and sit while we chat." He suggested.

The three suspiciously looked at each other and sat down on the couch.

"So, three of you arrive on this island. I do believe you have the gift?"

"Yes. We discovered it in the woods." Lucas said.

Smive put his cup on his table and sat up. "Show me."

Lucas was confused about how to do it. He tried moving his hand around, just like how he did it before.

"Channel that magic on me. Focus the palm on my position." Mr. Smive explained.

Lucas tried to do it but failed. He fell to the ground exhausted.

"Hm... It seems you've used it quite a bit. You are exhausted due to the magic you wield. I can predict that this is the case. Show me the symbol on your shoulder."

Lucas rolled up his sleeve and it had an eye on it. The eye looked at Smive and blinked.

"You do have the gift. Cindy, show me yours."

Cindy moved her sleeve up and her eye did the same. Smive nodded and grabbed Elliot's arm. He moved her to the center of the room. Not knowing what to do, Elliot stood worried.

Smive stood across from her and positioned himself. "Burn the enemy. Burn my soul." Smive said very seriously.

Elliot was confused and worried about hurting him. Who knows how old he is? Elliot has never wanted to hurt anyone. Not again, at the least. She performed her fireball and shot it at him. But... the fire blew out without even touching Smive.

"Just as I thought..." Smive walked to Elliot and looked at her face closely. He grabbed her hand and looked into it as well. "This is bad. You're dying."

The room was in shock. "What do you mean she's dying!?" Lucas asked.

Smive showed them her hand and pointed at her eyes. Her eyes were a deep red, and the skin on her hand was a pale white snow. It was so white, her veins could be seen. 

"She is slowly dying to become an undead. This will be fatal to all of us and Earth." Smive said.

"How fatal? She can be healed... right?" Cindy asked.

"She cannot be healed. She will slowly turn until she reaches her limits. Soon, her eyes will disintegrate, and her skin will be too cold to handle. She will die. I'm not sure how to heal the process."

Lucas sat down and felt very upset. It's Elliot he cares for, and she will die.

"How do you know me?" Elliot's text asked. Smive her the text's effect and turned around. 

He chuckled. "I knew your mother, Elizabeth Elsweyr." Elliot gasped. "Elizabeth was born and grew up here on the island. She was extremely curious about the magic she wielded and became my very own student. This was unfortunate, due to the fact that I lead the classes as principal. She trained hard and well as she began to master the ability of both light and fire. No apprentice is capable of mastering two magical powers at the same time. This was a slight shock, in my opinion. She did well but grew very curious about the outside world. She asked me about leaving the island, and I said yes. She traveled to Hoskar and lived there for a year. I almost thought she was gone. Until she came back with a big surprise. She became pregnant."

Elliot's ears were shocked. Could it have been her she was pregnant with?

"She thought it would be stressful to train her magic and fight the occurring danger. She gave me a favor... and left the island. I never saw her again..."

"What was the favor?" Elliot asked.

Smive turned to his desk and locked the safe in his drawer. "You are not ready to know. The magic you wield must be mastered in order to perform the favor. Though, if you want to perform the favor your mother asked you, do you all want to practice here on the island?"

"Of course we do! That's why we came here! To find Enzo!

They left the room to Main Hall. A row of adults were standing there silently.

"These will be your teachers. They will guide you through the island and teach you how to control your power. Lucas, you will train with Mrs. Tori. Cindy, you will be with Mr. Hasel. And Elliot, you will be with me, for the most efficient of your time." Lucas and Cindy were following their teachers to their bedrooms. Elliot followed Mr. Smive.

They each arrived at their rooms. There was one unusual thing about their rooms. Elliot's room had an entire library to it. Lucas had his own desk inside with many things to learn from the island. And Cindy... She just had a balcony, and a hook to hang her beanie. They went to their rooms and they noticed it was night. They went to bed...